Journalism of Courage
After 69 bullets pumped into man, now nephew shot dead in South Delhi
Last year, both houses saw two murders in the span of a few months, allegedly at each other’s hands. Ratan and Arun were intercepted by armed men in broad daylight before they were shot dead.
Vijay Kumar (left) was shot dead outside his gym (right) in Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri on Monday morning. (Express Photo)
Vijay Kumar, 32, was at his gym in Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri area on Monday morning when a man asked him to step out. When he did, two men wearing helmets opened fire, pumping more than a dozen bullets into him and killing him on the spot.
His family alleged that his killing was the result of the rivalry between two families — Arun Lohiya and Ratan Lohiya, who share the same last name.
Last year, both houses saw two murders in the span of a few months, allegedly at each other’s hands. Ratan and Arun were intercepted by armed men in broad daylight before they were shot dead.
Ratan was Vijay’s uncle.
“Vijay was innocent… Last year in November, they had murdered my cousin, Ratan, near his house in a similar manner. And now they have killed our innocent nephew,” Vijay’s uncle Narender Kumar told The Indian Express.
Ratan, a milk dairy businessman, was shot around 69 times in Aya Nagar in November 2025. He was reportedly wearing a bulletproof jacket at the time of the attack.
“Had Vijay been aware that he might be the next target after his uncle, he might have been a little more alert,” Narender said.
Vijay’s wife, Ritu, said that she spoke with him on the phone around 8:30 am on Monday, when he told her to prepare breakfast. However, she said that after 10 am, Vijay allegedly stopped taking calls. “Ramvir Vidhuri has killed my husband,” she claimed.
Ramvir is Arun’s father and lives in the same area. She also said that Vijay had celebrated his birthday on September 8. “We were living in fear after Ratan’s murder. In fact, I did not let him (Vijay) to go to his gym for 20 days after Ratan’s murder. I don’t know why they killed my husband now. He had nothing to do with Arun’s murder,” she said.
Story continues below this ad
Police said four men riding two motorcycles arrived at Hansa Chowk in Fatehpur Beri around 10 am, and two of them opened fire at Vijay before fleeing. The accused came on a black Apache bike and fled towards Faridabad, according to police sources.
“An FIR has been registered in the matter and multiple teams have been constituted. Raids are being conducted at various locations to trace and apprehend the accused persons. The motive initially seems to arise from personal enmity,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Anant Mittal said.
Long rivalry
As per the police, the rivalry began with a dispute between Arun and Ratan’s son, Deepak. They used to be friends. The friendship, however, soured over a financial dispute.
Then, Arun allegedly assaulted Deepak. In April 2024, Arun was killed near Chhattarpur Metro Station. Deepak and Vijay’s younger brother Ajay are lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the case. Narender said Vijay was the only earning member of his family.
Story continues below this ad
“His wife is yet to come to terms with the fact that he is no more. She was already unwell, and after hearing about her husband’s death, her condition has deteriorated further,” he said.
Gangster angle suspected again
Police suspect the involvement of gangsters in Vijay’s murder.
In Ratan’s murder, the alleged involvement of gangster Neeraj Faridpuria had surfaced. Police had also suspected the role of Western Uttar Pradesh-based gangster Randeep Bhati, who allegedly provided the gunmen to carry out the killing.
Police now suspect that a new set of shooters from the same group may have been involved in Vijay’s killing. Investigators are probing whether the murder was part of the continuing cycle of revenge.
Story continues below this ad
Late on Monday evening, a social media post surfaced where one claiming to be linked to gangster Himanshu Bhau’s gang took responsibility for the killing. The police, however, said that they were checking the authenticity of the post.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement
Live Blog
Advertisement